Battle for the NFC East — Commanders Come to Philly for Thursday Night Matchup
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) reaches for a touchdown catch in front of Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (13) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Well, this game is certainly looking much more important than most people would have guessed.
The Washington Commanders are coming to Philadelphia for a Thursday night battle against the Eagles to determine who will be atop the NFC East. After holding the title since Week 3, the Commanders have now fallen into second place in the division following their 28-27 loss to the Steelers in Week 10 and the Eagles 34-6 victory over the Cowboys. The Eagles currently sit at 7-2 while the Commanders are 7-3, meaning that whoever comes out on top of this game comes out on top of the division once again. If the Eagles can secure this win, it would go a long way in helping to reclaim the title of NFC East Champions.
Washington Finally Has a Quarterback
After what has felt like an eternity where it has felt like Washington just had the worst luck in the quarterback department, it seems that the franchise has finally turned a new page. With the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, they selected Jayden Daniels out of LSU, and his impact has been immediate.
Daniels has nine touchdowns to just two interceptions thus far. He has finally given Terry McLaurin someone who can effectively get him the ball. He walked off a game against the Bears with one of the most impressive and improbable Hail Marys that you will ever see. Simply put, he has revitalized the entire Commanders’ offense.
It is worth noting that he has come back down to Earth slightly since his scorching hot start, however. Though the first six weeks he had a completion percentage of 78.9, which is an incredible number for any quarterback, let alone a rookie. However, through his last three games that percentage has been brought down to 68.7, which is still in the top half of all quarterbacks but nowhere near as insane as the first three weeks.
Besides Joe Burrow, Daniels will be the best quarterback Philadelphia has faced and will be a very good test for this young Eagles secondary.
Short Week
Both the Eagles and Commanders will be coming into this game with only three days of rest, but this should actually strongly favor Philadelphia. Because the Eagles were able to absolutely dismantle the Cowboys, they were able to get their starters off the field after three-quarters of play. This gave the team a little extra rest and ensured that they would leave Dallas without any serious injuries.
When you have a Thursday night game, any extra second of rest you can take becomes vital. The Commanders played an incredibly tough defensive team in the Steelers, where their starters needed to remain in for the entirety of a close game they ultimately ended up losing by one. They now have much less time to lick their wounds and prepare for their next game, which will also require them to travel.
The travel factor may be nullified however, since the Commanders will only be traveling from Washington to Philly, while the Eagles had to fly back from Dallas.
A short week can be a great equalizer as it prohibits a team from fully preparing both mentally and physically. Hopefully, the Eagles can overcome these problems by capitalizing on the expected soreness and fatigue of Washington.
Mailata to Return?
On Monday, the Eagles opened the practice window for left tackle Jordan Mailata. A storyline that has flown under the radar this season is the health of their offensive line. This is most likely due to the fact that despite the injuries, Jeff Stoutland always has his backups prepared to slot in and play at a high level.
The Eagles’ season opening o-line has not been at full strength since Week 3, and Mailata has been out since Week 6 with a hamstring injury. It is not a guarantee that he will be making his return on this short week game against the Commanders, but there is still a chance.
It’s very hard to quantify how good an offensive lineman is playing but before his injury, Mailata was arguably playing the best football of his career. Fred Johnson has done a very good job filling in, but having Mailata be able to protect Jalen Hurts’ blindside once again will be a huge boost to this team once he returns.
Welcome Back Zach
One fun storyline to follow in this game will be the return of tight-end Zach Ertz. As most Eagles fans will remember Ertz was a cornerstone in Philadelphia’s offense for nearly a decade, which included three Pro Bowl seasons and the second-most receptions in Eagles history at 579; only 10 shy of Harold Carmichael.
Ertz had several unforgettable moments with the Eagles, but his crowning achievement was no doubt his game-winning touchdown reception in Super Bowl LII.
This will be Ertz’s first time playing against his former team at the Linc. He played abasing the Eagles as a member of the Cardinals in Arizona in 2022 but when the Cardinals played in Philly in 2023 they had already released Ertz. Currently, he has 37 receptions for 381 yards and a touchdown and is putting together a solid season for himself. Expect a well-deserved warm welcome when he takes the field this Thursday.
The game starts at 8:15 pm EST and can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
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Bo Lynett
Bo has been a fan of Philly sports his whole life and has spent the entirety of his four years at Colgate University working to start a career in sports media. Double majoring in Economics and Film & Media Studies gave him the opportunity to study both the financial/ analytical and broadcasting/ production sides of the sports world. Outside of the classroom, he’s worked as a director and producer for Colgate’s athletic events streamed on ESPN+ and a writer for the Colgate Athletic Website. Through all of this, however, it was his love of Philly sports that drove him to this career.
